Christopher Wilkinson

Chris was born in San Leandro, California on November 26, 1966, and was a huge fan of ice cream birthday cakes for his Thanksgiving birthday celebrations.

After growing up in the Bay area of California, he began a successful television journalism broadcasting career as a video “photographer” for a variety of television stations KSBY, KXAN & KATU. He was an Emmy-nominated photographer and has many adventures documented throughout his career that took him all over the globe.

One of the biggest highlights were his travels to Bosnia & Herzegovina during the civil unrest during the late 1990s. Meeting then-Texas Governor George W. Bush who told Chris “You got here as fast you could” when explaining Chris was from California. Following the Texas National Guard to Central America for various relief missions, his favorite story was his discovery of a Burger King in Honduras and was able to order a cheeseburger in Spanish.

Chris’s greatest professional joy was to join the Austin Fire Department as their dedicated photographer. The years he spent with AFD produced some of his greatest projects and he was so proud to be part of such a distinguished organization. He was recognized by Chief Baker as the 1st Wave award winner in 2019 and, also earned a National Honorable mention for his 9-11 20th anniversary docuseries.

He was able to tell you the year and model of a car just from looking at a small detail of a car. And was the family go-to for anything to do with cars. Chris loved tackling home remodeling projects and was the family travel agent. He would also want everyone to know he was an Instagram model for his side gig (wink-wink).

Chris was known for his ability to make everyone laugh, he had an ability to put people at ease with the crack of a brilliant Dad joke or an observation he would share. His humor during this time is greatly missed.

He is survived by his mother Toni Hartman and step-father Brad Hartman, his 2 sons Calvin and Quinn and his wife Denise.

We look forward to celebrating Chris on Saturday, October 5, 2024, 10 AM Central Time at Cook Walden Funeral Home located at 6300 West William Cannon Drive, Austin, TX 78749.